My wife and I ski at different levels and she tends to spend her week skiing in a ski school whereas i'm more advanced (not an expert though!) and like to do my own thing. This usually means that I end up spending the week skiing by myself.

Surely there must be other skiers in the same situation as me? I don't suppose that there are any forums looking for skiing buddies whilst in Niseko is there?

Not that I know of...but I hear ya! I spent a fair bit of time on my own when I was there too.

Best investment I made was my 'rent-a-friend' instructor!
It was great coz I got tips to improve my form, stretched myself a bit out of the comfort zone and got taken to places I wouldn't have gone on my own 'for the first time' - you know ... launching over a bit of steep drop through some tree's without someone who knows something is just not me - not yet anyway.

I got personal one on one attention...and as I said over and over it was not so much a 'lesson' as a 'rent-a-friend' but this friend is not gonna ditch ya coz you are going too slow, or stomp off home coz you are going to well! PERFECT! We exchanged email details when we left the big N too, and I offered to to put her up in Perth if she ever came here (as she talked of doing)....

.....>the other option which doesn't happen so much in Niseko is joining the singles queue and striking up conversation with other solo sliders .... met the coolest older skier in the singles queue at Thredbo this winter, and he took me on the sweetest ride through the tree's for my final fling of the trip - with two injured buddies it was like he was God himself who appeared behind me in the queue - we ended up two to a quad chair (rare for Thredbo) because there seemed to be groups of four as far as the eye could see, we struck up a conversation and the rest is history - I had the best and most challenging ride of my life and laughed and squealed all the way down. he enjoyed himself too. AWESOME!

Sounds like a plan Mamabear. Thanks.

Mama has some of the best ideas I've heard! Quite a gal!

Shucks!

Was just thinking a bit more about this - and ya know...the private instructor I had at Thredbo was a bit of a rent-a-friend as well...few tips thrown in while he took me to his favourite spots on the mountain. But there was a difference between the Aussie young buck and the Sweet Japanese girl - she led the way, but was WITH me the whole time laughing and joking. HE was the 'catch me if you can' type - so I rode faster and felt like I acheived more with his style, but I had WAY more fun with her style.

So...moral of the story - do the rent a friend thing, and if it is not exactly how you want it, try another instructor - they are all really different. HECK - you could rent a new friend every day - see a new bit of the mountain every day - and still get away with re-using the same jokes every day!! WINNER!

Hmmmm, how about..... here!

I'm going up there on my own in late February. When are you going?

I might be up there the second week of February with a few people.

Just learn a bit of Aussie or Japanese before you go, mate.

This is such a funny but realistic thread. My husband and I are EXACTLY the same he is a more advanced skier and gets bored staying with me (or embarrassed) so off he goes all day by himself and off I go, then we meet up at around 4pm for a beer and then hit the slopes again (seperatley) for night skiing.

Next year we are taking friends that are all gungho skiers and snowboarders (all good for him) and off I go by myself again.

I think I will be getting myself an instructor or rent a buddy. this time. Will be looking for tall dark and handsome (teehee) !!!!!!!!

I will be in Niseko for the first week of February but thanks for the offer anyway.